Laundry Basket
by Dragon'sHost
Summary: A collection of Bleach drabbles from my Tumblr. No IH or IR here. [Requests are closed.]
1. Nightmares (Ulquihime)

**I finally have enough completed Bleach requests from my Tumblr that it's time I archived them here on FFN. These will contain a lot of Orihime, Rukia, and Matsumoto pairings. Because that's what people seem to enjoy asking from me.**

 **Although requests are not actually open at present, please enjoy the ficlets that have been written thus far.**

 **Also I apologize this thing is a mess of tenses.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
**

* * *

 ** _Title: Nightmares  
_**

 ** _Pairing: Ulquiorra x Orihime  
_**

 ** _Requester: GemNika  
_**

 _ **Prompt:**_ _ **"I had a dream you smiled, and it was the scariest thing I've ever seen. Never do that..."**_

* * *

Dreams in the depths of Las Noches could really only be called nightmares.

Even the pleasant wispy things, memories of happy times spent with her brother and her friends, wrought a gaping hole in Orihime's chest when she awoke. A hole that only widened every time she closed her eyes. Her fingers would probe the area around her heart, searching for it's steady beat - to reassure herself that it was still there. That it had not yet been torn out. Every time she would find smooth fabric, and unblemished skin. But the sensation of _missing_ remained.

And she would crumple in on herself, whispering over and over again that she had not been wrong. Leaving to save her brightly shining friends was all she was capable of.

Orihime was careful to never let Ulquiorra see her in such a vulnerable state; her ears always straining for the cadence of his footsteps outside her door. Long experience (and Tatsuki) had taught her never to show weakness to those that meant her harm. Even if Ulquiorra himself didn't seem particularly interested in harming her outside of forcing her to eat, the man behind the apathetic arrancar's actions terrified Orihime. That Ulquiorra reported on her was an inevitability, and she wasn't quite so naive as to believe otherwise. Any weakness, any flaw that Ulquiorra could see in her, he would bring back to Aizen. To use against her; against her friends.

So Orihime kept it from him, and wiped all traces from her countenance.

The guilt she felt in so doing was just a trick of her mind, she knew. A trick born of blank white walls, an unchanging sky, and deep loneliness.

Only once did she fail at hiding her nightmares from her guard.

She had awoken, sticky with sweat and her hair plastered to her face, and found Ulquiorra staring at her from the safety of the doorway across the room.

"Nightmare?" His calm voice had echoed in the large room, the call of "nightmare, nightmare, nightmare," driving deep into Orihime.

Caught, she could do naught but nod.

Then he asked, "What about?"

And Orihime was thrown for a loop. Was that... dare she even think it... _interest_ in his voice?

She drew her blanket up protectively. "I had a dream you smiled," Orihime had told him slowly, haltingly, her eyes never leaving his form.

It had been a bright dream. Ulquiorra smiling at her, and standing beside her friends while they joked around. Kindness and affection written clear on his face. Sunlight shining on his hair. A possibility of a world that she knew would never be.

"And it was the scariest thing I've ever seen. Never do that..."

He contemplated it for a moment, confusion breaking through his usual apathy. Then he nodded in acquiescence - a relief to the girl.

Fantasies born of loneliness were the worst kind of nightmare.


	2. Lurking (Shuumatsukira)

**A second one today, in celebration of launch. (Aka I have no patience.)**

 **I should probably also mention that this is an IH-free and IR-free zone. You will find neither here because I refuse to write them (though sometimes I will give Orihime's crush on Ichigo its due respect and mention it but it's largely based on how the writing turns out). RR may show up though. Because I like it.  
**

 **Can you believe boogey requested _optional_ Shuuhei for this drabble? Puh-lease. Shuuhei is never optional.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
**

* * *

 ** _Title: Lurking  
_**

 ** _Pairing: Matsumoto x Kira x Hisagi  
_**

 ** _Requester: boogey56  
_**

 _ **Prompt:**_ _ **"All bad ideas begin with you and end with me"  
**_

* * *

"All bad ideas begin with you, and end with me," Izuru intoned, morose. His words held all the finality of a death knoll. "Or more specifically - all bad ideas begin with you, and end with me doing something that will either get me killed or fired. If I'm lucky, that is."

"And then I get dragged along for funsies," added Shuuhei. He cracked his neck, kneading a particularly crampy spot with his fingers.

Rangiku scoffed at the pair. "Stop being over-dramatic. Both of you! I'm out here too, you know!"

"And yet our necks are the ones in danger of losing our heads," the blond man grumbled. Izuru then sighed heavily, knowing even as he spoke that his longtime drinking buddy was not going to listen to them in the slightest.

"You act like you didn't already agree to this," Rangiku pointed out. "And the Shinigami Women's Association is fully compensating you for your trouble! So what's there to complain about?"

"Now that we're more sober, breaking into the Kuchiki Manor seems like a bad idea," countered Shuuehi. Indeed, promises made in alcohol-induced fugues and the bravado associated with them were swift to dissipate when huddled in a bush at the edge of Byakuya Kuchiki's property in below freezing temperatures.

"Too late!" Rangiku sang. "You already agreed. You don't get to whelch on me now!"

The men sighed in unison. Sometimes it was just easier to go along with whatever Rangiku wanted, rather than fight her. This was looking to be one of those times.

And so they resigned themselves to the elaborate prank they were about to pull on one of the single most terrifying members of the Soul Society.

Maybe they could blame this on Yachiru when it - inevitably - went south. That was believable, right?


	3. Missing Pieces (Tatsuhime)

**I was gonna spread these out since I haven't done nearly as many Bleach ones as I have Fairy Tail, but oh well. May as well get this thing actually caught up.**

 **This is one of my long standing OTP's. I love this ship.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
**

* * *

 ** _Title: Missing Pieces  
_**

 ** _Pairing: Orihime x Tatsuki  
_**

 ** _Requester: filiiadcorblog  
_**

 _ **Prompt:**_ _ **"Chess"**_

* * *

"Hmm? What's this?" Tatsuki asked, slowly prying an old, dusty box out from the bookshelf. "I don't think I've seen this before…"

Orihime scooted closer to Tatsuki, peering over her shoulder at the object. "Oh! I was wondering where that went! I've been looking for this forever! Thank you, Tatsuki!"

Tatsuki shot Orihime a grin. "I'm awesome at sniffing out treasure. But… what is it?"

Gently, Orihime took it from Tatsuki's hands. "It's a game that my brother bought for us to play a long time ago. It was one of the ones that only two people were needed to play, and he found it at the 100 yen store. It's a bit like Shogi."

"I see." Anything involving Sora tended to be a touchy topic, but as of late… it was as if Orihime had come to terms with his death. Tatsuki couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Even now, Orihime was smiling fondly at the box, rather than returning it to its hiding place.

"Hey, Tatsuki? Why don't we play?"

"Sure thing!" she agreed readily, not wanting to spoil Orihime's good mood. "You're going to have to teach me, though."

She smiled brilliantly back at Tatsuki. "Okay!"

Within moments, Orihime had the pieces laid out before them, the cheap plastic cracked and stained with age. "Some pieces are missing but we can use go pieces, or something…"

Tatsuki nodded along as Orihime rattled off what each piece was meant to do, happy to see Orihime so happy.


	4. Poaching (ByaHime)

**A ship I've taken a strange liking to. Takes place during the time skip after the Winter War.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
**

* * *

 ** _Title: Poaching  
_**

 ** _Pairing: Orihime x Byakuya  
_**

 ** _Requester: itsajoshyboy  
_**

 _ **Prompt:**_ _ **"**_ _ **Of all the people I didn't expect to see here you were at the top of that list"**_

* * *

"Of all the people I didn't expect to see here, you were at the top of that list!" chirped the cheery young woman standing before Byakuya Kuchiki.

He stared at her for a long, awkward moment. "…Inoue, correct?"

"Yup, that's me!" Orihime replied, grinning. "Did you forget my name for a second there?"

"No," he stated.

Silence fell between them once more.

"So…" Orihime began, setting aside her broom and dusting her hands on her apron. "What brings you to the World of the Living?"

"I have business to attend with Urahara, and he would not condescend to come to the Soul Society. So I made the trip myself."

"Oh!" she gasped, flushing. "Of course you're here to see Urahara. Why else would you be at his shop…? Ehehehe…"

Her laughter was self-deprecating, and it set Byakuya's teeth on edge. Ignoring the unsettling feeling, he inquired, "Is he here?"

"He and Tessai left to meet with a vendor about two hours ago, I'm afraid," she informed him with a rueful smile. "But if you would like to wait, I think he'll be back soon."

Byakuya hid his irritation at Urahara's lack of manners, and simply nodded. "I will wait here for him, then." He had to come back to the shop eventually. He couldn't avoid Byakuya forever. "I'm curious as to what brings you here, Inoue. Do you have business to attend with Urahara as well?"

Orihime shook her head. "No, I got a part-time job here." At Byakuya's ensuing confusion (no doubt due to the loan word), she amended and further explained, "I'm working here for the summer to help with my living expenses. I have enough to get through high school, but… I'll be on my own after that. So I need to start saving! And Urahara was kind enough to let me work here, when I mentioned that I was looking."

"Ah, I see." Byakuya digested the information. "How well does he pay you?" He couldn't imagine a shop such as this supporting it's current inhabitants comfortably, let alone an additional worker.

"Eh?! Uh… um…" she stuttered, taken aback by the direct question. "He… he pays me well enough, I guess? I mean… I don't have any prior experience, so…"

Suspicion arose in the Captain at her uncertain words. Was Urahara exploiting this young woman's labor in exchange for a pittance? He honestly wouldn't put it past the shady man.

"Tell me, what do you think of the Soul Society?" he asked her.

"I liked what I saw of it," replied Orihime. "Though I'm afraid I didn't see too much, what with…"

Byakuya grunted in acknowledgment. Right. Of course. She had been there to rescue Rukia - namely because of his failings. And then again when she trained with Rukia in preparation for the Winter War. "How would you like to see more of it?" Byakuya suddenly asked.

Her brow furrowed in confusion, as Orihime tried to puzzle through where this conversation was heading. "I… I guess I would?"

"Would you be against joining one of my units as an attachment for the summer? You would be compensated accordingly, and it would provide you the opportunity not only to see more of the Soul Society, but also to train."

Byakuya's offer stunned the teenager. "I… that would be amazing!" Orihime exclaimed. "But are you sure that I would be of any use…?" Her failures in Hueco Mundo still haunted her, still filled her with guilt.

"A fighter with healing capabilities is always an asset to a field unit," Byakuya stated bluntly.

A fighter.

His words echoed in her mind. And suddenly, she was filled with determination.

After all… if Captain Kuchiki believed in her abilities, then she should be able to find it within herself to believe in them, too.

"Yes! I'll do it! Thank you very much!" She bowed deeply. "I will not waste this opportunity, Captain Kuchiki!"

"Eh…?" Urahara's voice drifted through the shop. "I leave for one meeting, and I come back to find you poaching my employees, Captain Kuchiki?"

"You took too long," Byakuya stated, a thinly veiled smile on his lips.


	5. Puppies Galore (Ichigo Rukihime)

**Not sure when exactly this one is set. But I really enjoyed writing it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
**

* * *

 ** _Title: Puppies Galore  
_**

 ** _Pairing: Orihime x Rukia, featuring Ichigo  
_**

 ** _Requester: anonymous  
_**

 _ **Prompt:**_ _ **"So, start explaining why there are dozens of puppies in my guest room"**_

* * *

Given the oddity of his upbringing, being stabbed by a random person in the middle of the night, and the subsequent adventures he'd been dragged into by Rukia and the Soul Society, Ichigo felt that by this point he had a fairly good handle on all things thrown at him from left field.

He was wrong.

His stare was currently leveled at two girls sitting in the middle of his guest room, sweating bullets and surrounded by a squirming mass of fur.

"So, start explaining why there are…" he paused for a quick count, but the ever shifting mass of fur and legs and tails forced him to give up on the proposition as a bad job, "…dozens of puppies in my guest room."

Orihime flushed and hung her head, mortified into silence at her present situation.

Rukia felt no such shame. "Orihime's apartment doesn't allow pets."

"So the next logical choice is to bring them here?!" Ichigo sputtered. "Wait, no nevermind that, why do you two have so many puppies in the first place?!"

"Um…" Orihime finally lifted her gaze to meet her friend's, her cheeks crimson but her mouth set in a determined line. "The shelter they were at was closing, and there wasn't any others that could handle the overflow, and they were going to be put down unless they were adopted immediately, and Rukia and I couldn't bear to see that happen, so…"

"Also, your dad said it was fine," Rukia added.

"Of… course he did…" Ichigo muttered.

"We… we promise to take care of feeding, and cleaning, and finding homes for them all!" Orihime began to nod furiously. "So they shouldn't be any trouble to you at all!"

They were definitely going to be trouble, Ichigo couldn't help thinking. No matter how determined the girls were to make this work, it wasn't something that could be done so easily.

The teenager continued to stare blankly at the pair for several moments. Then he heaved a sigh and hung his head in defeat. "Sounds like it couldn't be helped. I'll help you guys find homes, but the rest is your problem." He wasn't cold-hearted by any means, after all. There was no way he could tell the girls to kick out the puppies.

"Thanks, Ichigo!" the partners in crime responded, before turning jubilient grins at each other.

For some reason, Ichigo felt like he'd been played like a fiddle. "Not that it matters that much, but how did you guys afford the adoption fees?" Given the sheer number of animals, it had to be somewhat… considerate. "And how are you going to afford the food, and vet bills, and such?"

Reaching into a pocket on her dress, Rukia then brandished a shiny card. "Brother gave this to me to use for emergencies. And this was definitely an emergency."

Ichigo nodded slowly, feeling a sudden and intense wave of sympathy for Byakuya's checkbook.


	6. Gummy Bears (HitsuMatsu)

**Been a while since I've written something other than Fairy Tail, but here's a Bleach drabble for y'all.**

* * *

 ** _Title: Gummy Bears  
_**

 ** _Pairing: Hitsugaya x Matsumoto_**

 ** _Requester: anonymous_**

 _ **Prompt: "I thought it'd be funny to leave a trail of gummies leading to the couch for movie night, but I didn't expect you to actually eat them."**_

* * *

Shame gripped the Captain of Squad 10 as he stared down at his hands. The evidence was still there, clear as day, staring back at him in accusation. Or at least… the ones still in possession of their heads did.

"I thought it'd be funny to leave a trail of gummies leading to the couch for movie night, but I didn't expect you to actually eat them," Matsumoto stated, amusement coloring her voice and her eyes lighting up in a way that did not bode well for her diminutive superior officer. "Although I must say that I'm impressed that you got to them before Yachiru had a chance to sniff them out. Good show."

That just made it all the worse, in his opinion.

The telltale flash of a camera had him jerking his head up to stare at his lieutenant in profound horror. She grinned back at him, waving the new poloroid idly to clear up the damning image it contained.

"You didn't purloin that from Inoue, did you?" he asked, his internal frustration struggling to find new avenues to pursue so that he wouldn't have to dwell on his lapse into childish behavior.

Matsumoto's gaze turned upward for a moment as she considered his question. Then she met his eyes once more and smiled brightly back at him. "Nope!"

That was not particularly encouraging.

A vein pulsed on his forehead. "We're guests here, Matsumoto. We can't just take things that belong to our host without permission!"

"But Orihime _said_ I could use it!" she defended.

"Oh," Hitsugaya said, his anger deflating somewhat. "Wait… then why the suspicious pause before?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Explain."

"Because winding you up is fun," she admitted cheerfully. "And now I have something amazing for the next issue of _Seireitei Communication!_ Shuhei is so going to owe me for this."

"MATSUMOTO!"


End file.
